A sterile hand-operated surgical instrument designed for the automatic extraction of a core tissue sample from an anatomic structure of the body (i.e., a biopsy), while causing minimal surrounding tissue damage, for pathological examination/testing. It has a spring-loaded mechanism intended for transcutaneous insertion of its distal needle-like portion. It has an open cylindrical needle that allows a full-width tissue sample to be obtained over the entire length of the biopsy when activated. It is typically used to obtain samples of soft tissue from the kidneys, prostate, pancreas, liver, and breast, often performed under image guidance. This is a single-use device.